Travel

Embrace Your Inner Child With Adults-Only Summer Camps

From arts and crafts to hot yoga, these new-look camps blend nostalgia with grown-up activities.

By Elaina Friedman April 16, 2017

0417_essentails_cabin

This article originally appeared in the April 2017 issue of Seattle magazine.

[addtoany]

If a bunch of adults playing capture the flag, sleeping in bunk beds and going on nature walks sounds like your kind of party, you’re not alone. These days, more and more grown-ups are packing their bags and retreating to adult-only camps (more than 1 million, according to the American Camp Association), including a few in Washington.

They’re invited to leave their screens at home and remember the sweet thrill of camp songs, mess halls and scraped knees. At Camp Kirby’s Camp RAHH (starts at $450; camprahh.com) on Samish Island, an hour-and-a-half drive north of Seattle, adults spend four days kayaking, riding horses, playing paint ball and enjoying four-course meals by local chef Brian O’Connor, all sans alcohol and technology. The YMCA’s Camp Colman, near Tacoma, offers similar activities as part of the four-day “Camp Souldust: Magic in the Woods” (starts at $555; souldust.com) experience. (Read about the awkward and inspirational moments from our recent stay).

And for women only, the Girl Scouts of Western Washington’s “Glamp” weekend in September hosts activities such as pasta making and sunrise yoga (starts at $275; girlscoutsww.org/glamp).

Another women’s option for a weekend recharge: Spring and fall weekend wellness camps at Camp Colman and Camp Orkila on Orcas Island ($189; seattleymca.org). Expect traditional camp activities (arts and crafts, archery) along with time to relax or indulge in a massage. With vacation season just around the corner, don’t miss your chance to sing “Kumbaya.”

 

Follow Us

Summer of Aquatic Bliss

Summer of Aquatic Bliss

Dive into diverse delights

To celebrate this summer of aquatic bliss, we rounded up providers that deliver all the nautical thrills at a fraction of the overhead. Along the way you can also encounter indigenous lands, marine mammals, and distant islands...

Food Flight

Food Flight

The best portable meals to grab on the way to Sea-Tac

Crunching through a fresh bánh mì at the far end of Terminal C at Sea-Tac International Airport or unwrapping an oversized cemita during boarding sits just at the edge of acceptable airport behavior. Not because someone shouldn’t be able to enjoy some of Seattle’s finest sandwiches or slices en route, but simply because...

Hidden Washington: Leavenworth All Year

Hidden Washington: Leavenworth All Year

This Bavarian-style village in the Cascade Mountains offers more than just Oktoberfest and Christmas celebrations

Beyond the beer and bratwurst and lively seasonal celebrations — notably Oktoberfest with a “K” and Christmas with a heaping dose of Nutcrackers — Leavenworth is a fabulous place to spend a long weekend...

Got to Get to California

Got to Get to California

The state’s stunning beauty is on full display in these pastoral midsize cities

Just like the 1987 Seattle Supersonics, California has a Big Three. Xavier McDaniel, the “X-Man,” is Los Angeles, flashy and often spectacular...